It has been an honour and a privilage to help judge the 2008 AGA International Aquascaping Contest.
The standard keeps getting better every year with new innovations and design ideas combined with super plant health resulting in some truly stunning aquascapes.
Thank you to all entrants who have impressed and inspired me so much this year.
Keep up the good work!
— George Farmer
It has been another year of wonderful aquascapes including somce very innovative work. Thank you all for participating. It has been a privilege to evaluate them. You ALL deserve kudos for being willing to share your work with other aquarists. We learn something new from each new tank that we see. Good luck in '09!
— Karen Randall
You guys got guts! To lay down your talent so that a know-it-all judge can rank it is a bold stroke. Take pride folks. You pulled it off superbly...This year's entries bear witness to the growing creativity in our hobby.We're gaining in our appreciation of "aquascaping as art"...
Psst! Here's some inside scoop for future entrants: 1. Judges are distracted by signs of tank equipment in the photos. 2. Entries with photos with different colored backgrounds or taken at different times or other inconsistencies only confuse judges. 3. Less is more. Busy is not better. Reduce the varieties of plants and fish in your tanks. And 4. Introduce a STRONG compelling focal point. It will make any 'scape more dramatic...All of the highest ranking entrants were mindful of these issues. A word to the wise.
Comments
The standard keeps getting better every year with new innovations and design ideas combined with super plant health resulting in some truly stunning aquascapes.
Thank you to all entrants who have impressed and inspired me so much this year.
Keep up the good work!
Psst! Here's some inside scoop for future entrants: 1. Judges are distracted by signs of tank equipment in the photos. 2. Entries with photos with different colored backgrounds or taken at different times or other inconsistencies only confuse judges. 3. Less is more. Busy is not better. Reduce the varieties of plants and fish in your tanks. And 4. Introduce a STRONG compelling focal point. It will make any 'scape more dramatic...All of the highest ranking entrants were mindful of these issues. A word to the wise.